Two arrested as OCAP protest shuts down budget meeting

It was supposed to be a pro-forma day at City Hall with officials rubber stamping Mayor Rob Ford’s maiden budget, largely devoid of deep cuts to city services.

By the end of it, anti-poverty activists had temporarily closed down the budget committee meeting, Councillor Doug Ford had told one of the demonstrators to “get a job” and the media learned that the Mayor had been hospitalized with kidney stones.

Led by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, protesters streamed into City Hall shortly after 10 a.m., wearing tulle tutus, banging drums and chanting “stop the war on the poor.” Lisa Schofield was the first to raise her voice in the meeting, demanding the attention of councillors who had been listening to a presentation about the city’s yawning funding gap for 2012. It is estimated at a whopping $774-million before various moneymakers such as a possible property tax increase and a transit fare hike could whittle it down to $530-million.

While some of the shouting protesters were still filtering into the committee room, budget chief Mike Del Grande quickly recessed the meeting. But Doug Ford, vice-chairman of the budget committee, stayed put in his chair.

“I’m scared, I’m scared honey,” he told a woman who was shouting at him as he left the room, shielded by security. The meeting resumed an hour later, but not before a scene erupted in a reception area just outside the committee room, with police attempting to arrest a woman, and demonstrators surrounding them.

OCAP organizer John Clarke used a reception desk as a soapbox and told the crowd that this is just the beginning. The coalition was joined by No One Is Illegal, which fights for the rights of undocumented people. “If you don’t fight back they will crush you,” said Mr. Clarke.

Police charged two people, one with assaulting an officer, the other with obstructing an officer who was effecting an arrest. Constable Wendy Drummond said an officer received minor leg injuries.

Adrienne Batra, his press secretary, said the condition “is nothing serious” but the Mayor was in some pain.

“He is still returning phone calls, he is still talking to constituents and he is still open for business,” she told reporters. It is not clear when he will return to City Hall.

An email update from Ms. Batra last night said the Mayor had been released from hospital and was resting at home: “Mayor Ford will be seeing a urologist [Friday] regarding the kidney stone, which is approximately 5 to 6 mm. He is in good spirits as some of the pain has subsided.”

Adding to the confusion of the day was a report that the Mayor’s brother, Doug Ford, is considering a run for the provincial Tories. Doug Ford denied the report Thursday. On Wednesday, he told a Toronto newspaper that he would “never say never” to the possibility.

In the end, the budget committee did what it intended to do, passing the $9.38-billion operating budget, which freezes business and residential property taxes with hardly any changes. It earmarked $23,000 of $110,000 that was saved from freezing councillor salaries to a student nutrition program, and the rest to fight bed bugs. The budget now goes to the executive committee, and then city council for final approval. Then the real heavy lifting begins, as the Ford administration brings in consultants to do a detailed service review that looks at how the city spends money. Asset sales are on the table, along with the possibility of more outsourcing.

Thursday’s protesters raised concerns about this year’s plans to cut back evening and weekend bus service, and shelter bed reductions, and blasted the city government for failing to oppose federal cuts to immigrant settlement services.

A spokesman for the city said it is projecting a decrease in shelter usage by refugee families so the city is budgeting for fewer bed nights.

Mr. Clarke cast the cuts in the context of “austerity measures” that are targeting the poor around the world and warned “don’t underestimate Ford.”

One city councillor sympathized with the message of the protesters, though not the approach.

“I don’t agree with the tactics of disrupting council. I don’t agree with the methods that OCAP uses, but they have a message and that message is that there are families and vulnerable people in this city that are suffering, and that there are cuts in this budget that will affect them,” said Councillor Janet Davis (Beaches-East York).

Doug Ford told reporters he is determined to stand his ground. He initially denied making the “get a job” statement and later said he would not apologize.

“They aren’t going to intimidate me, they aren’t going to deter me. I’m going to stay focused,” he said. “The barbarian tactics that they’re pulling, they aren’t going to move me. Why should we buckle down to a bunch of neanderthals coming in and jumping on desks and intimidating people?”